Abstract
Mandibles and teeth are of particular interest in zooarchaeology as they often form the basis of mortality profiles used in the study of prehistoric wool production. However, the methods for morphological species identification of ovicaprine mandibles and teeth suffer from problems with accuracy. ZooMS (Zooarchaeology by Mass Spectrometry) has sought to provide reliable, fast and cheap species identifications of ovicaprines. Here, the morphological identifications of 35 ovicaprine mandibles (n = 25) and teeth (n = 10) are compared to species identification by ZooMS. The results show inconsistencies in the morphological identifications. However, ZooMS only provides species information. If other information such as sex, age-at-death or health status is desired, ZooMS must be complemented with further biomolecular or osteological analyses
Original language | Danish |
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Journal | Arkæologisk Forum |
Volume | 46 |
Pages (from-to) | 4-15 |
ISSN | 1399-5545 |
Publication status | Published - 2022 |